Tiger's Lesson
by ProneToRelapse
Summary: If there's anything Jim can't do, Seb wants to help him do it. Potterlock drabble.


Having separate classes at different points in the day sometimes made it hard for Sebastian to find Jim at the best of times. The Irish boy often had a habit of disappearing to the oddest places; places he had absolutely no reason to be, but that didn't stop him. As if it ever would.

Usually after Sebastian's transfiguration class – the one class he and Jim did not attend together – he would find Jim either in the library or the Great Hall, a book open in front of him. They would then spend their free hour together, rapidly trying to finish homework at the last minute, before heading to their Defence Against the Dark Arts class. Yet today, Sebastian was having no luck in the 'finding Jim' department.

With no sign of him in the library, the Great Hall, or any of the spare classrooms on the second floor, Sebastian gave up after half an hour's looking, and resigned himself to having to finish his Arithmancy homework alone. God, he hated that class. He scowled as he headed back to the Gryffindor common room, tie hanging loosely around his neck.

What he was greeted with when he stepped through the doorway, was the pleasant sight of Jim sitting in the armchair by the fire, several books scattered across the floor, and his wand tucked behind his ear.

"So this is where you've been hiding," Seb said, hiding his grin as he walked over. "I've been trying to find you for ages."

Jim glanced up at him. "I've done your Arithmancy homework."

"Oh. Thank you." Seb perched on the armchair. "How did you get in? We changed the password yesterday. I haven't had a chance to tell you yet."

Jim scoffed. "Please, Sebastian. This is _me_ we're talking about."

Seb inclined his head; a noncommittal admittance of Jim's ability to know things he shouldn't. Seb would have told him the password anyway. He always did. That way, Jim would sneak up to his dorm at night. Seb didn't mind that Jim never told him the Slytherin password in return. Who wanted to spend their days in a dungeon?

"We need to head to Defence Against soon," Seb said after a pause. He picked up one of Jim's books, the Irish boy's elegant handwriting scrawled across the open pages. "'Practical Patronuses for Beginners'? Jim, we did patronuses last week." He narrowed his eyes at Jim. "Have you still not been able to summon yours?"

Jim glared at him. "I'm just having a bit of trouble finding a strong happy memory, that's all." He sniffed indignantly.

Sebastian opened his mouth to form a smart retort, but caught himself at the last minute. He didn't know much about Jim's home life. He knew that the boy never went home for the holidays, and he never gave any details away in his letters over the summer. Often Sebastian would wave goodbye as he got on the train over Christmas, and Jim would stand on the platform sullenly, staring after him with an expression akin to jealousy. When he came back to school, Jim would hang around Seb like a puppy, excitedly yapping at him until Sebastian started laughing and Jim's exuberance and tugged him into a hug that usually ended in Seb getting stupefied.

Sebastian wondered if Jim actually had any memories he considered happy. If he didn't… Well.

"Come with me," Sebastian said abruptly, grabbing Jim's hand and hauling him to his feet. The Slytherin boy stumbled after him in surprise.

"Where are we going?" Jim asked, allowing Sebastian to tug him along. "We have a lesson in ten minutes."

"We're skipping," Sebastian said, a grin stretching across his face. "We're going to teach you how to cast a patronus."

Jim's expression turned displeased. "I was kind of hoping you were taking me to the Room of Requirement again…" His voice took on a wistful edge that made Sebastian's ears burn red. He cleared his throat.

"Yes. Well. Maybe later. Professor Stamford still has that boggart in his supply cupboard. We can use it as a dementor."

"I'm not scared of dementors."

"Liar. Everyone's scared of dementors."

"Call me crazy, but I'm not really frightened by the idea of a creature that wants to snog me to death."

Sebastian rolled his eyes and shoved Jim into Professor Stamford's empty classroom. "Just shut up and listen to me for once." Jim huffed and aimed his wand at the door, locking it and placing a silencing charm on it so they wouldn't be heard.

H turned back to Sebastian who gestured for Jim to come to him. The Slytherin rolled his eyes and came to stand in front of Seb, who turned him round and pulled him close so that his front was pushed against Jim's back. Jim's stomach clenched abruptly.

"Okay," Sebastian said, speaking softly directly into Jim's ear. His fingers curled around Jim's wrist and coaxed his arm up, aiming his wand for him. Jim could feel Seb's breath, warm and soft, against his neck. He swallowed quickly.

"Breathe evenly," Sebastian purred, lips inches from Jim's ear. "Clear your mind and picture that one good memory. Once you've got it… Say the incantation."

"Expecto Patronum," Jim said, voice remarkably steady – no trace ot a tremor.

"Good," Sebastian said, stepping away. Jim instantly wanted him close again, but he gave a forced, put upon sigh and perched on top of one of the desks.

Sebastian smirked and drew his wand, heading for the supply cupboard. Stopping three feet in front of it, he whispered, "_Alohomora,_" and the door swung open.

For a long moment, nothing came out. Then a pale hand gripped the edge of the door frame, and a tall, dark haired man dressed in Ministerial robes stepped out. Sebastian cocked his head in confusion. Surely the boggart should take on _his_ fears. He certainly wasn't afraid of this stranger, with his cold, cruel eyes and contemptuous expression. What did—

"_Riddikulus!_" Jim snapped, suddenly on his feet just behind Sebastian's shoulder. The stranger abruptly burst into clouds of confetti. Jim looked slightly shaken.

"Who was—" Sebastian started to ask, but Jim cut him off.

"Can we get on with this now, please?" he asked briskly. "I'm getting bored."

"Okay…" Sebastian conceded, frowning. He turned back to the boggart and pictured a dementor, with all its cold, dead glory.

The dementor rippled to life in front of the two boys as the boggart took its shape. The shadow loomed towards them and the room grew cold. Sebastian felt Jim shiver beside him and suppressed a grin. He squared his shoulders and remembered the fleeting expression of pride his father had worn when Sebastian had been sorted into Gryffindor.

"_Expecto Patronum!_" Sebastian shouted. The tip of his wand glowed with brilliant light, and bands of silver flowed forward, rippling like ribbons in the wind as a shining tiger burst into life. Sebastian laughed gleefully as the ephemeral animal prowled towards the dementor, growling deeply at it. The tiger leaped forward with a deafening roar, ripping into the dementor and pushing it back into the cupboard. Sebastian threw the door closed and the tiger vanished into wisps of smoke.

"Did you see that!?" Sebastian demanded, laughing breathlessly. "Old Stamford _needs _to at least give me an E for that!"

"Excellent," Jim said dryly. "Can I go now?"

"No, no, no. It's your turn." Seb hurried over to him. "Come on, unlock the door and have at it."

Jim shot him a disparaging glance but flicked his wand towards the door anyway. The door clicked and swung open and the dementor burst back out, its shredded cloak rippling in unfelt wind. Jim widened his stance and raised his wand. "_Expecto Patronum!_" he shouted, with enough conviction that Sebastian expected his patronus to shoot out from his wand like an arrow from a bow. Instead, Jim's wand remained inactive, and the dementor loomed closer.

Jim staggered as the boggart imitated the dementor's power, his mind clouding as despair started to overwhelm him. Sebastian gripped Jim's arm to keep him upright and slashed his wand savagely in the direction of the boggart. "_Riddikulus,_" he snarled. The dementor changed into an alarming shade of orange, but Sebastian wasn't finished. Jim had staggered, shown weakness, and Sebastian was furious.

The boggart was still a living creature. It could still feel pain.

"_Crucio!_" Sebastian roared, and the boggart _screamed_.

Jim watched silently as the boggart writhed in pain, slowly regaining his balance. He looked at Sebastian's face; sculpted profile set with rage. He looked fierce. He looked beautiful. Jim thought about the time Sebastian had stayed behind with him at Christmas. Jim thought about the time Sebastian had forged his father's signature on Jim's permission slip so they could go to Hogsmead together.

Jim touched Sebastian's arm and the taller boy's concentration broke, causing his spell to fail. The boggart's screams quietened and it shivered on the classroom floor. Sebastian looked at Jim, who stepped towards the boggart and raised his wand.

"_Expecto Patronum,_" he said softly, and thought of Sebastian.

Jim's wand tip flared and shot forward streams of silver that knotted together into the form of a majestic wolf. The patronus lowered its head and sniffed at the weakened boggart's dementor form. It growled softly and snapped at it, slowly backing it into the cupboard. The wolf's fur shimmered and Jim watched in awe as the patronus pushed the boggart back into the cupboard. Sebastian shut the door with an air of finality.

"What did you think of?" Sebastian asked quietly.

Jim shrugged. "Passing my OWLs. Are we done here?"

Sebastian nodded and watched quietly as Jim unlocked the classroom door and left. He waited a few moments, and followed dutifully behind.


End file.
